Posts Tagged ‘Four Seasons’

A good friend of mine spent last year working as a dive instructor in the Maldives, and he says it was the best time of his life. (He recently returned to his regular job in finance on Wall Street…so he is missing island life terribly.) Although I myself have yet to visit the area, my friend told me how beautiful the island is, how amazing the diving conditions are, and how fantastic the local culture is. Now, adventure-seekers have a chance to experience it in style aboard the Four Seasons Explorer. Returning to the Maldives this July for the summer, the Explorer offers guests these five highlights of the cruise:

• Deep Sea Dive: This offers the opportunity for guests to mingle with manta rays, whale sharks, and other marine life while exploring reefs, thilas, and wreck during he Four Seasons Explorer’s exclusive night dives.

• Customized Cruise: Ideal for those who want to venture out on their own, this option includes a private cruise for up to 22 people and plan a tailored itinerary revolving around their interests, such as surfing, diving, or island hopping.

• Live Among the Locals: For an authentic island experience, vacationers can choose to mingle with Maldivians in local villages and remote towns, including Bodu Huraa, where they can visit mosques and purchase items from native artists.

• Water Adventures: Sea lovers can take their underwater adventures a step further than snorkeling or scuba diving by venturing into more daring water activities, such as wakeboarding…or they can choose to just simply relax by tubing in the crystal clear waters.

• Pop Up Spa: Relaxation-seekers can enjoy treatments inspired by Asia’s ancient healing principles, such as and Indian Herbal Oil Massage or a Sun-Soother Wrap, on many of the ship’s stops on isolated islands.

To find out more about these at-sea adventures, click here. Hope to see you aboard!

It’s been sweltering in New York City and today, rain. I am California dreaming! It seems like the mercury hasn’t dipped below 90F in an eon and not only am I craving a crisp SoCal summer, but I’m also craving a refreshing dish I sampled during my last trip to the west coast. While there, I was lucky enough to try out the recently opened Culina, a truly divine culinary experience at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. While the restaurant offers delicious handmade pastas and indulgent desserts, it also offers delectable healthy bites that tantalize the palate, while keeping L.A. physiques svelte. Here, chef Victor Casanova shares his recipe for a beautiful salad, which really allows seasonal ingredients to shine.

1. Toast bread in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees until well colored but
not brown.
2. Reserve bread.
3. Take the four vine-ripened tomatoes and pass through a food mill then combine in mixing bowl with vinegar and oil.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Reserve vinaigrette.
6. In a large salad bowl combine all ingredients and toss well.
7. Season to taste.
8. Divide into four small salad bowls.

I consider myself very lucky to not only have a job that I love but to also truly enjoy the people with whom I work. In fact, my co-workers and I probably spend as much time together outside of work as we do during business hours. And because we are an all-female staff, one of the things we love doing together is seeing girly movies. On our most recent outing to see “Sex and The City 2″ (of course), we got very excited by the preview for the upcoming movie “Eat, Pray, Love,” based on the novel by Elizabeth Gilbert. For those who have not read the book, it documents one woman’s journey to discover who she truly is by eating her way through Italy, praying her way through India, and falling in love in Bali. Following that theme, the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts just introduced the Bali, Pray, Love package for two. Available through December 2011, guests can experience their own rebirth with this journey, which includes:

• A personal consultation with Ketut Liyer, the actual Balinese medicine man who served as inspiration for the book, as well as a visit to his home, just as the author did

• A private Balinese cooking class at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay Cooking School, as well as a private candlelit dinner for two

• A 90-minute Balinese couples’ massage

• A guide to the top 10 most romantic on-island experiences prepared by the resort’s Love Concierge

• All transfers between airports and resorts, a floral bath upon arrival, and daily breakfast for two

The package starts at $3,000 based on double occupancy, which is a little steep for us here at American Spa. Instead, we already set a date for our movie night, where we will live vicariously through Julia Roberts.

While adolescent sensibilities are notoriously difficult to tap into sometimes, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts seem to have mastered the skill. Designed specifically for the under 20-set, special spa treatments are being offered at Four Seasons spas around the globe that are sure to pique the interest of even the most fickle teen.

•The Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora pampers its girly guests with the Star Fruit Manicure. This vitamin C-charged treatment, which moisturizes and protects against sun damage, is finished off with the guest choosing her ideal shade among a selection of hip picks that pop.

•Fierce manes can be tamed at the Four Season Chiang Mai, which offers the Wild Lime Hair Care treatment. The fresh citrus fruit is massaged into the hair and scalp and is followed by a fresh-scented wild lime shampoo and conditioner, to leave hair smooth and manageable.

•Since taking care of your skin is, like, totally in, the Four Seasons Resort at The Biltmore Santa Barbara offers the Teen Corrective Facial. Designed to treat excess oil, acne, and inflammation, the facial helps spa-goers get one step closer to flawless skin.

•To eliminate the effects of too much fun in the sun, the Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita invites teens to enjoy the Sunshine Soother Scrub. Treating the skin with yogurt, fresh aloe vera, cucumber, and lavender essence, the treatment hydrates and soothes the skin, leaving it refreshed and nourished.

Do you offer any special teen treats at your spa? Please comment below or email us at spablog@americanspamag.com.

When “Da Bears” kicked off their season opener this Sunday against perennial rival Green Bay Packers, The Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago launched a treat for non-football lovers. While Chicago football fanatics were left to mourn an early-season loss, Windy City spa-goers who discovered The Getaway from the Gridiron Package rejoiced. For $175, the package allows spa fans to enjoy a quiet day with a 55-minute massage, a healthy spa lunch (no beer or brats), a pass to visit the pool and fitness club, and a complimentary makeup application at the Bobbi Brown counter at nearby Bloomingdales. Guests also receive a special gift from Bloomingdales, as well as 20 percent off of a future couples’ massage, applicable Sunday through Thursday, to be used for some together time without SportsCenter on in the background. Available until Super Bowl Sunday, this package is the perfect way for ladies to take a time out during football season and to score points with their fellows for giving them some space to enjoy the games.

On a stroll along the Seine, executive editor Heather Mikesell takes in the sights of Paris, including the ornate Le Pont Alexandre III.

Checking into the celebrated George V (Paris, France), I could hardly believe my good fortune. The last time I was in Paris, my accommodations were a bit more modest. Although I remember fondly my friend and I sharing a non-descript room in a youth hostel with an Italian guy named Gino, I was thankful my circumstances had improved. There to check out the hotel’s lavish spa, I couldn’t wait to get to work. Conjuring up romantic notions of unadulterated pampering, the Four Seasons Hotel George V Spa does not disappoint. Despite being located in the legendary hotel’s lower level, the spa never comes off as an afterthought like many spas that have been relegated to the basement. Instead, the classic Louis XVI décor and indoor pool surrounded by hand-painted frescoes of the gardens of Versailles invite guests to step back in time and lose themselves in the decadence of a bygone era. The menu also echoes that sentiment and pays tribute to the country’s storied past with a host of treatments inspired by Marie Antoinette’s beauty rituals and her favorite scent, orange blossoms. To get a taste of the royal treatment, opt for the spa’s most popular package, A Stroll Through Versailles, which features a steamed orange blossom body scrub, a warm shea butter massage, and an orange blossom facial. Fortunately, the outcome is infinitely happier than that which Marie ultimately got. I experienced the spa’s 24 Karat Treatment, which involved a four-handed exfoliation, a massage, and a facial using the precious metal and followed with a moisturizing hair treatment, a blow-dry, and a makeup application. The package, as an indulgent treat, proved to be a topnotch pampering experience, which is precisely the draw of this decidedly luxe Parisian retreat.

Highlights: I was especially taken with the post-treatment green tea wrapped in 24-karat gold leaves from the French teahouse Mariage Frères and the decadent homemade macaroons topped with gold.